Sydney captain Jarrad McVeigh was inspirational in the Swans’ semi-final win over Carlton, amassing 42 disposals.
Mark said Freo senior coach Ross Lyon had already shifted some pressure back towards his brother in the coach’s media conference in Perth this week.
“I think Ross Lyon has hit him between the eyes this week and put it squarely on Jarrad,” Mark said on Melbourne radio station SEN.
“He’s said, look, he’s (Jarrad) led them into a prelim, he’s led them into a GF win.
“He’s going to have to lead them well again this week, so (there’s) a bit of pressure on him.
“(Jarrad) might shake hands with Ryan Crowley at the start and then it’ll be on.”
But Mark said a Crowley tag might not be such a bad match-up for his brother because of his ability to play an attacking role from Sydney’s half-back line.
“(Jarrad) doesn’t necessarily pick up the best forward, he pick’s up the fifth or sixth small forward and let’s them go into the play, let’s them get lost and he drops back and they (Sydney) handball out the back,” he said.
“We know what the Swans do, he’s usually the man they feed to.
“Crowley would have to be right onto that.”
Mark said the Freo tagger would have to make Jarrad accountable in defence if that was how it played out.
(Crowley) is pretty handy up forward, he can take a grab and he can kick a goal, so if he could expose him (Jarrad) the other way, that’s what he’ll try and do,” Mark said.
The former Bomber said Sydney would miss Kurt Tippett, particularly at Patersons Stadium.
“It would have been nice to have him there because he would have led into big open spaces and provided a target across that half forward line and deep in the forward line with Shane Mumford and also Mike Pyke,” he said.
“They’re going to miss him massively.”
McVeigh added that Sydney could struggle to cope with Fremantle’s big-bodied midfielders.
“Fremantle have a massive midfield,” he said.
“A lot of their midfielders are well over six foot one, six foot two. They’re good, hard-running midfielders who can take a grab overhead.”
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